Taken from Translation Rewrite (Part 2 of Alex Harbor Series)
by TelevisionOverload
Summary: The Full Title is supposed to be: Taken from Translation: The New Normal of Alex Harbor. This is my rewritten version of Taken from Translation. It's going to be a lot longer than my original version. This version's not a songfic, because it made writing it a lot harder. I made this a crossover with Thor because Darcy Lewis is going to be in a good part of it.
1. Chapter 1: Hell on Earth

**Ok, so here's the new Taken from Translation. **

**This one ****isn't**** going to be a songfic, because that was too hard for me to write, ****hence the fact that there were only a couple chapters and I made each one cover like 2 or 3 months.**

**Originally, because in these she's mostly addressing you (Audience) I was tempted to make it a journal entry, but I decided that as long as its not current talking (I am), then it should be fine.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Hell on Earth<strong>

The night I came home from the battle, I had been fine. Robert, Dina, and I were able to maneuver our way around the cops and clean up workers with ease. It wasn't the first time we had done something like that. They warned me that things were going to be rough for a while, and we didn't know when it was going to end. I lied and told them I was going to be perfectly fine. But, at that time, I didn't know how bad things were really going to get.

It took them about a week after the battle to realize who I was. Around day 2, somebody posted the video of the fight on Youtube. Around day 4, people found out who I was, and plastered my name all over everything. Around day 5, I had people from the news knocking on my door and paparazzi demanding interviews. Around day 6, I had child services knocking on my door, demanding to talk to me. Later on day 6, I had reporters knocking on my door, demanding an interview immediately.

I had my Uncle's up my ass demanding that I did things for them. I had random strangers knocking on my door demanding that I tell them everything. I was unable to talk to my friends, as my phone calls were being listened to by S.H.I.E.L.D and I couldn't leave my apartment.

There was one incident where a reporter attempted to kick down my door, and only succeeded in injuring himself. I used that as an excuse to put a chain and padlock on my front door, then push my coffee table up against it.

Ok, so here's what happened:

I was all over the news because somebody had seen me down on the ground—fighting, of all things, and posted it on Youtube. The video was titled **The Avengers and that kid** of all things. At that time, thankfully nobody knew who I was at that point, but the comments ranged from appalled to angered to violent to confused to surprisingly understanding.

I bet you guys want to see some of the comments. Here's the ones that didn't make me want to rip my hair out in frustration:

**I was like, WTF, it's a kid. Why would they do that?** They thought I was going to be useful, and I actually was for a while.

**I think everybody had a Holy Shit moment when they saw this.** Yep, I thought Robert, Jamie, and their Mom were going to have heart attacks.

**What the hell where these people thinking?! **They weren't. Had they been thinking, Steve, Agent Romanoff, and Agent Barton would have dragged my ass off that plane.

**Whoever stuck this kid in there needs to have his/her ass kicked.** Yes, Fury does deserve to get his ass kicked, but being in the battle was my own choice, and it was a dumbass decision on my part.

**This kid is going to get hell for this. If only the video was better, we'd know who she is.** If they knew that I was going to get hell for it, why did they want the video to be better.

**Why the fuck is this kid here?!** That's what I was thinking.

**Why would she do this? She doesn't looked like she was forced to do it?** I did this to myself, and I'm not entirely sure why either.

**Who is this kid?** No idea dude, no idea.

**She looks absolutely terrified. **That one was right.

**Ok, so I paid pretty close attention to the video, after almost everybody I knew sent this to me. It's obvious that she wasn't forced to do it, she must have thought it was the best option. And you can tell that they were trying to protect her, by the fact that almost every time one of those things get close to her somebody takes it out before she can even turn her head. If you look close enough, you can tell that she has on a bulletproof vest, and has a gun in her hand. She looks pretty young, and with how messy her handiwork is, I wouldn't he surprised if she'd never used a gun before. More than one time she saves them, like they saved her. We don't know who this kid is, she might have had a reason to be there. We don't know where the Avengers came from. We don't know who put the team together. We don't know why the kid was fighting in The Battle of New York. We just don't know. That's the key. WE DON'T KNOW. **This one I liked because it was pretty spot on, and the person at least tried to understand what had been going on. She was right when she said that they were trying to protect me; they barely let me out of there sight. Steve had kind of taken it upon himself to protect me, filling Phil's spot as Mother Hen.

But here's the short version of what happened to me:

Some people on Youtube freaked out and started going all out trying to figure out who I was. They found out I was Alexandra Harbor, daughter of Mackenzie Harbor, the recently imprisoned conman. Everybody started freaking out and attached my name to everything about that video.

Here's some of the comments that reported me:

**I think she went to school with my little brother. Somebody check Midtown Middle School in New York's website.** At that point, I knew I was screwed.

**We've got it down to New York, and pretty centralized in New York. **I was surprised that more people weren't searching for me by that point, they were just telling other people how to narrow the search/what they already knew about it.

**I think she's related to some kid I know.** I think the person that posted this was a kid in Robert's class.

**It took me a while, but I think I finally figured out who it was. It was Alexandra Harbor. She's the daughter of Mackenzie Harbor, the conman. As most people know, Mackenzie Harbor is one of The Seven Swords, which, despite the stupid name, is one of the most prominent conmen groups of the 21st century. **This is from the last person who gave a paragraph.

**She's related to a friend of mine. I've met her once or twice. She's only a baby; I think she's in the 6th grade. She's 11 or 12. **At that point, I knew everything was going to blow up like crazy.

**I looked her up, she's only 11.**

**An 11 year old.**

**Why would they let a little kid fight?**

And those were the good ones. I mean, they were the ones that ruined my life, but they were the good ones. I think those were the only ones without every other word being F

Here's the short version of what happened next:

It was reported to the news, then reported to child services. I had to figure out how to explain what happened to child services, since I refused to have anything to do with S.H.I.E.L.D. I wasn't able, and didn't want to call for Fury to make everything better; and I wasn't about to go crawling back to S.H.I.E.L.D. It took quite a bit of time, and a lot of bribery, but eventually they dropped it.

After that, I kind of gave up on everything. I locked myself in the apartment. I only left if it was to get groceries or to take Buster for a walk at first. After that, Steve started dragging me out of my apartment for lunch, to make sure I actually ate. Dr. Banner started spending the mornings basically babysitting me to make sure I was still alive. Tony invited me to play paintball with him, Happy, Pepper, and Rhodey; I don't know why, but I think that was the first time I had laughed since the battle. Somewhere along the way I ended up giving the cats to Carmen, since her little sister loved them so much.

They didn't need to be cooped up in an apartment all the time anyway, they were still young kittens, and needed to be played with; things I wasn't able to do for them. I just dropped Martha off at the Pet Store and ran before they could give her back to me. I think they released her, but I really don't care. I couldn't deal with them, I couldn't give them what they needed. I could barely take care of myself. I nearly worked myself to death so I could keep Buster.

I didn't have much money. If my Dad hadn't drained his bank account into mine before he got captured, I wouldn't have any money. The lack of incoming money, the money I needed to pay my bills, scared me shitless. I had mentioned that to Steve, since he refused to lighten up once he realized something was wrong. He turned around and told Fury about it, thinking that to be the only logical answer to that problem. Fury kept paying my bills, as if that would make it up to me. I was just glad that I didn't have to worry about that. I was perfectly fine with never doing anything again. But nobody would have that.

More than once, I had to be dragged to the emergency room by one of them because of the injuries I had sustained during the battle, despite the fact that I had already gotten S.H.I.E.L.D to treat most of it. They had refused to take that as an answer, since I didn't have medication, and I was in a lot of obvious pain.

The injuries, though non-life threatening, were extensive. I had walked from the battle with 3 bullet woulds; one to the shoulder, one that grazed my side, and one that grazed my neck. I had plenty of bruises; the one on my back from hitting the desk, some on my legs from hitting the ground in Stuttgart, the ones from hitting the ground after the explosion, and the ones from the battle. I had 2 cracked ribs, both from the battle. I had a hairline fracture on my cheekbone, from face planting during the battle. I had several scars, mostly small and unnoticeable, on my arms, the only one that was noticeable was the one on my cheek, that one was deep and from a little bit above my mouth back to right in front of my ear.

My injuries weren't just physical ones. I walked out of that battle with heightened anxiety, PTSD, heightened paranoia, insomnia, and more trust issues. Unlike all the others, those couldn't be bandaged up. Because they suddenly deemed those things of actual importance, they gave me a bunch of medication they deemed unnecessary prior to The Battle of New York.

Things were hell for me, and I didn't know how I was supposed to fix that. I screwed myself over, and there was nobody to pull me out of it. My family was being of no help, Phil was dead, it was too much to ask from Steve or Tony or Dr. Banner, and I would have sooner died than asked for Fury's help.

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><p><strong>Please review.<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Family Affairs

**This story is going to deal with what she had to go through in ****a lot**** of depth. I'm using this story to explain everything that happened ****in-between The Avengers and Iron Man 3. I'm going to try and make Iron Man 3 a little shorter than it originally was going to be, mostly because a lot of that was her moping and dealing with a dog in the middle of a crisis. I think I'm going to do the same thing I did during The Avengers, I think I'm just going to have her drop him off somewhere.**

**Also, I don't really know how to write this stuff. I know how to write the kids dealing with the abusive uncle, I did my best trying to write his wife in this scene, but I don't know how good of a job I did on it.**

**I did my best.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2: Family Affairs<strong>

Speaking of family, I think I need to cover that. The morning after The Battle of New York; I got the calls from Robert and Jamie and their Mom. They ended up dragging me to the emergency room and getting me checked over, even though they knew I had already been. I think Robert just wanted to give his Mom and sister some peace of mind. We were in and out before the video had even been posted. Then, I got a call from Uncle Trent, while I was standing in his living room. He was in Europe, pissed as hell.

That conversation, is one that I have to explain fully:

"What the fuck were you thinking?!" He yelled. The phone wasn't on speaker, but the others could hear him loud and clear.

"I wasn't." I said honestly. "I got myself in trouble. I didn't know how to get out of it." They just stared at me, not even breathing.

"He got arrested." Uncle Trent said.

"What?" I asked. I shot a panicked look at the others.

"What is it?" Aunt Ava asked quietly.

"Arrested." I mouthed. She put her hand over her mouth. That was the one thing we worried about constantly.

"You heard me." He said. I silently switched the phone to speaker. "He got arrested back in Stuttgart." I hadn't known that he had been arrested yet. I had known that S.H.I.E.L.D had taken him in. I had thought that Fury was going to use the papers—and him—so they could track The Seven down. "How much did you tell them?"

"I—I didn't tell them anything. They followed me into Stuttgart. They told me to try and get myself into the gala, but I couldn't. He showed up and got me in and I talked him into leaving. They must have gotten him around then." I said.

"That, I'll agree isn't entirely your fault. I know many a Harbor man that wouldn't have done that much." He said. It was true. They would sell each other out so quick that the others didn't even know what hit them.

"Th—They have the address." I said quickly. I mentally cursed myself, unsure why I was helping him. I didn't want to be like them, I didn't want to help them. But I was doing it. If they found out that I knew something, and I didn't tell them about it, they would kill me.

"Which one?" He asked.

"All of them." I said, "All the warehouses, all the houses, all the safe houses; everything I knew about's now corrupt." I had to tell him the truth. If I didn't, I would literally die.

"You told them?!" He yelled.

"No, he stole paperwork from me." I said. That was a half truth. It wasn't exactly paperwork, but it was a very important piece of paper.

"Who stole it?" He asked, "Which one of S.H.I.E.L.D's agent's has it. Some of them might just use it for blackmail. I just need to know which one of them took it, so I know what we need to do." He explained. I wasn't sure how much trouble I was in, I knew very well that he could be lying. I gulped.

"N—Nick Fury." I said, waiting for the explosion that I knew would come.

"NICK FURY?!" He yelled.

"I—I didn't know what to do. At first, I didn't know he took the papers. I had them in my journal. I didn't realize my journal was missing until it was too late. By the time I got it back, he had everything he needed and the papers." I said, "When I found out he took the papers, I thought he was going to use it to find you guys."

"Alex," He said with a sigh, "I didn't want to do this." I shot them another panicked look. That didn't sound good.

"Who are you with?" He asked. I glanced back at the others.

"Nobody." I lied, "I was going to go talk to Aunt Ava about it, to see which number I should have used, but right now nobody's around." That wasn't entirely false, I had planned on asking Aunt Ava how to contact them, but I knew that I'd get hell for it.

"Well, Alex, it seems like it's happened again." He said, "Maybe it's time we told you the truth."

"W—What do you mean?" I asked. I didn't know if that was what S.H.I.E.L.D had found out about me, that I had partial alien DNA in me.

"You're part of a bigger picture. Involving S.H.I.E.L.D, involving The Seven, involving the entire planet." He said. Jamie looked confused, but both Robert and Aunt Ava knew about that. "Your Father spent his entire life protecting you from S.H.I.E.L.D, protecting you from their enemies; and you threw it all away. Because of that, you and me are going to make a deal."

"What kind of deal?" I asked. With him there were two types of deals. Money and death. I didn't know which one was worse.

"Money." He said, as if reading my thoughts. "You're Father had roughly $50,000 in his bank account when he was taken by S.H.I.E.L.D after he was taken, that money disappeared. I want you to bring me $50,000 by the end of October." I was gaping.

"T—That's not enough time." I said.

"It'll have to be." He said, "That's when I need the money by. It's that or a Death deal." I took a shaky breath, trying to calm myself down.

"I—I'll take the deal. I'll get the money." I said, "I'll get it by October."

"That's all I ask." He said. Then he hung up the phone. I looked towards the others.

"What do I do?" I asked, "I might be able to get it. But if I can, what do I do?"

"Give it to him." Aunt Ava said.

"You do know he'll kill you as soon as he gets the money, right?" Robert asked. I nodded.

"I'll die either way." I said.

"He won't kill you." Aunt Ava said.

"Mom, he's not a good man." Robert said, "He killed Sam because he screwed up."

"Your brother messed up big time." Aunt Ava said, "He threatened all of our lives—especially Alex's life. That's why he's been so tough on you all. He needed to make sure you'd stay in line."

"You can't do this!" Robert yelled, "You can't justify everything he's done."

"Every little mistake." Jamie said quietly, "He's punished us for it. Me, Robert, Dina, and Alex. I never got to meet Sam, and he doesn't sound like a good person; but he shouldn't have died because he messed up. Even if he did put us all in danger."

Jamie was wise beyond her years. She was one of the sweetest little girls I knew, and that was why it killed me that she knew that her Dad committed the murder of the older brother she never got to meet and was able to accept it so easily.

"He's not that bad." Aunt Ava said, "He was a good man. He cared about all of you. He took care of all of you so well."

"He used to beat us." I said, "He doesn't care. He may have cared—when we were little. But whatever man he used to be, isn't there anymore. We've accepted that—we've moved on. Aunt Ava you have to."

"He's not a bad man!" Aunt Ava cried.

"He abused all of us growing up. Robert, Jamie, Dina, and myself. We all learned to deal. We all learned to fight back in our own ways. You have to find your own, whether it be telling him off, letting him know what you know, or flat out packing up and leaving; you've got to do this." I said.

"It's not like I want to stay." Aunt Ava sobbed.

"I can get you a way out of this—Fury can get you a way out of this. He and I might not see eye to eye, but he can do this for you, if I ask him to." I said.

"How?" She asked, wiping her eyes.

"I—I don't want to ask Fury for help." I said, "But if it means keeping my family safe, then I'll do it."

"You don't have to—" Aunt Ava started.

"Don't you fucking tell me that I don't have to do this." I warned. She looked taken aback, "If this keeps you and Jamie and maybe Robert safe, then I'll do it."

"I'd have to stay." Robert said, "I'm too involved in all of this."

"We can figure all of this out after we find out what to do about the $50,000." I said.

"You're not going to have the money." He said. I shrugged.

"The night he disappeared, an mysterious transaction was made to his bank account. All that money was transferred somewhere, and I think I know where that is." I said, "What I'm going to do is—if I'm correct, is check it, transfer the money in his account, and hope for the best."

That night, we went to the bank and checked my account. Just like I thought, all of his money was in there. There was the $30,000 there had always been, the college fund he had made fore me; and the $51,294 he had in his account at the time of his arrest. I kept $31,294 in there and transferred the $50,000 into Uncle Trent's bank account. I thought everything was over with. But that night I received a text from him.

**"****Transfer another $50,000 in my bank account by January 1st. Our previous deal still stands." **

I had known that he was going to do that. I had just hoped that it wouldn't be that soon. I knew that he was never going to lighten up, but he thought that since I had such ease getting him the first $50,000, that it would be easy for me to get him another $50,000. I knew that I'd have a lot of trouble getting him that money, I didn't have enough in my college fund, and I didn't exactly want to sacrifice my college fund. I still wanted to go to college, but if I wanted to live, I'd have to give him the money.

I was tempted to text him back telling him that I had $31,294 in my account, but I decided not to. If he didn't know that I had that money, I thought that I could get away with some money still left. I didn't know how I was supposed to get the money, but I told myself that everything was going to be ok. I knew that it wasn't going to be, but I had to hold onto a little bit of hope. That little bit of hope, was the only thing helping me sleep at night.

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><p><strong>Please review.<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: Searching

**Well, this story ****isn't**** exactly in chronological order. Starting at Chapter 4, it will be, ****because**** it time jumps 2 weeks and continues from there.**

**By the way, Alex kind of has powers, but its not really powers and more as heightened intelligence and strength, which is what makes her useful to them.**

**Also, she did mess up the Time Line a lot, but it stays in order. She's going to meet Spiderman at some point during this story, but it's going to be a while and be set after the movie (Which I still need to watch).**

**EDIT: Jesus I've had this in here for a long time. I planned on using this author's note to answer some questions but then I got sidetracked and never posted it. I swear that I'm still working on it, but I've got a lot going on right now.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 3: Searching<strong>

The first thing I did when I got home was check my apartment for bugs. I destroyed everything S.H.I.E.L.D I found. The only thing S.H.I.E.L.D that I kept was the insulated jacket. Even then, I almost threw it out. I would have if it wasn't for the fact that it was the warmest jacket I had and I actually liked it. I mean, I checked the jacket to make sure it didn't have anything in it, and it didn't. Or, as far as I know it didn't. I wasn't about to tear it open to look for a bug that most likely wasn't there.

I stayed by myself until the next morning, when I had to deal with Aunt Ava, Robert, Jamie, and Uncle Trent. Then, the morning after that, I finally got to be alone. I took care of business, and came home, and decided to finally get to work. I finally decided to go into my Dad's room, the one I hid behind the bookcase, because I didn't know what else to do.

Once I came back from the emergency room, was when I first decided to put the coffee table up against my door. I pushed my coffee table in front of the door. But it was before the padlock, since I didn't know that I was going to need it yet. I didn't know how badly people were going to take it.

Then, I proceeded to knock the bookcase in front of my Dad's door down. It came down with a crash, I love books, but at the moment I could have cared less about the ones scattered on the floor. I just kicked them aside. I could hear people in the hallway asking if I was alright.

"Everything's fine!" I called. Then I went back to my business. The door had a padlock, and I had to cut it with wire cutters. Then I had to pick the lock on the doorknob. Still, the door wouldn't budge. Instead of working more with the lock, instead of kicking it down. I decided to go through the supplies underneath the kitchen sink.

What I needed from the toolkit, was a fire-axe. It was old, and kind of rusty, but it worked. There wasn't anything wrong with it. I brought the axe down on the door, several times. On the third swing, the hole was finally wide enough for me to stick my arm through without hurting myself. I managed to unlock the handle and get the door to open. It took me three tries and I had to break out the lock pick kit again.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was looking for, but I knew I had to find something. I emptied all of his drawers. Most of what I found was clothes. I wasn't finding anything important. Then when I searched under the bed, I hit the mother load. There were two somewhat large boxes. When I opened them, I saw that one was full of photo albums and the other was filled with files. When I sat down on the bed, to look through the boxes, I realized that I missed something obvious. There was a letter, with my name on it. I cut the envelope with my pocket knife, and read it.

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><p>August 15th, 2007<p>

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><p>Dear Alex,<p>

I know things must be bad, if you're reading this letter.

I told you to close up my room, and I know you did. You're a good kid, and you wouldn't go through my room unless you absolutely had to. That means that it failed, and I've been taken in by S.H.I.E.L.D. I know because they're the only ones brave enough to actually take me in.

Before I say anything else, I want you to know that your Mother and I did what we did to protect you. You've been through so much in your short little life, and you don't even remember most of it. I can explain why you don't remember.

You're eidetic memory, is absolutely terrifying. We didn't know what else to do. If we hadn't altered your memories, you would have lived your entire life in fear of things we saved you from.

It drove your Uncle mad trying to keep all of you safe. He used to be a better person, he used to care so much about all of you. When Sam told them about you, I went off the handle at him, I was screaming and cussing and admittedly pushing him. Your Uncle took it one step further and shot him. At this point, you probably found that out for yourself.

Robert and Dina probably told you the whole story anyway.

Robert probably told you about the Alien DNA thing, and it wasn't a fluke. Your Mother and I, got into some bad business before you were born. That caused you to have a small amount of alien DNA, as well as a small amount or radiation that we couldn't recognize.

As for the story about me working for S.H.I.E.L.D, I know you'll want my side of that story.

It was 1997. I was 26. I was newly married. I was happy. I had a desk job at S.H.I.E.L.D, it was a well paying job. I had met Alexander Pierce and Nick Fury around a year prior, as they were regulars at the restaurant your Mother and I owned at the time, a story which I know I told you.

I became good friends with both of them, and they offered me a desk job, later that year they were at my wedding. They said I did so well at the desk job, so they promoted me. I kept getting promoted and along the way I realized Don Rio worked for S.H.I.E.L.D as well. Don Rio and I had known each other since we were children. He and I became apart of a field team, that was sent out on missions.

A few months before you were born, your Mother got herself caught up in some S.H.I.E.L.D business and was kidnapped. We got her back, and everything seemed fine.

I had been working on Project Kane for a while at that point, and an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D wanted to know what we knew about the project, which at that point was nothing. They took your Mother as an attempt at leverage, and it turned out that they themselves were extraterrestrial life. They wanted to stop S.H.I.E.L.D from finding out, to protect the rest of the universe. That information is only known by your Mother, Don Rio, myself, and now you.

August, 15th, 2000; you were born. Alexander, Nick, and Don Rio were the first people to see you after your Mother and I. Yes, you are named after Alexander; he is also your godfather. At the time, he was one of my best friends, so I figured that was a good idea.

Things were going well, you were healthy and happy. Your Mother's restaurant was flourishing. My job was going well. Until Trent decided to show up again. He felt the need to get in my business, saying that since he was my older brother, that he had to try and stop me from working for the government.

It didn't work, I did what I had to to keep you and your Mother safe, and my job continued to work. But a few months after you were born, Don Rio and I were sent on a mission that didn't end well.

We were usually briefed before we went on missions, but we weren't for this one. We assumed that either we couldn't be briefed, or it was a suicide mission and they didn't want us to know it.

It turned out to be a little bit of both. It was the main warehouse of The Seven, not the one you grew up with, but the one they had before that. Two men were killed in the fight, and the rest went off injured. Don Rio and I tried to stop the fighting, as both Sam and Robert had been their at the time, but they weren't having any of it.

Both of them got away unharmed, but Trent swore that he would make us pay. Afterwards the leader of my team approached Don Rio and myself. He told us that he could have our jobs for what we did, that he could kill our families, that he could make us kill our families; and that was the final straw from that man. He was a psychopath, he was unhinged, and he could have cared less about others.

Don Rio and I used that as the opportunity to leave S.H.I.E.L.D. By the time they realized what he had done, and he got fired for it, it was too late to convince us otherwise.

A few years later, you were kidnapped by an enemy of S.H.I.E.L.D; a different one. Sam had traded information about you for money, and Trent used that as an excuse to kill him.

Once we realized that you really weren't safe, we knew what we had to do. I had found out about cross-dimensional travel from Project Kane. It had been deemed impossible, but I was intent on finding out how to do it. It took us 4 months to crack it, but we did it.

Your Mother left before we could finish, for your own protection. She was correct in her beliefs that they would follow her in hopes of finding you.

We created a pocket universe, where we would be safe. Robert, Dina, Trent, Ava, myself, Don Rio, Anna, and the rest of The Seven are the only people who remembered life before the switchover.

We don't know what your Mother remembered, but since the switchover has reversed, she should know everything. By using the files and photos underneath my bed, you should be able to track her down. The only problem is, I don't have a current number, or really any way of contacting her.

I trust you to be able to figure that out, since you are the computer genius.

Speaking of which, there is one thing that nobody except myself and your Mother know. Whatever caused you to have that small amount of alien DNA and radiation, affected you in ways we can't even begin to understand.

You're smarter and stronger than I could have ever hoped. You know English, Spanish, and French. I need to teach you German, I keep forgetting to do that. You can hack firewalls, you can make complex plans, you can trick people, you can fight; you can do anything you set your mind to, but you don't even believe in yourself.

You act like an adult, even though you aren't. Growing up in New York trained you to be this, but part of it is the heightened intelligence. You're too smart for your own good.

I've got to go, if I'm to be gone before you wake up. I apologize for everything I've done, and one day, I will make up for it.

You are the best thing I've ever done, and I do love you.

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><p>Your Father,<p>

Mackenzie Harbor

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><p>"Out of all the things you did, you say I was the best." I said to myself, wiping my eyes. What he did was a small gesture, and didn't even seem like it took a lot of effort. Buster whimpered, looking up at me with big eyes, seemingly asking what was wrong. "This," I waved the letter, "Was the first time he ever told me that I was important to him. This was the first time he told me that he loved me. All in a fucking letter."<p>

It took me a while, after that, to actually look through the boxes. I started with the photos, wanting to get them out of the way. The first thing I came across was pictures of him and my Mom when they were dating. They looked so happy together. I saw no pictures of any of my family except for them and my Grandparents.

I recognized my Grandmother's handwriting on the scrapbook, and my Grandfather's handwriting on the back of the pictures.

_It said things like:_

_Mack and Grace's first date_

_Mack and Grace's second date_

_Mack and Grace getting pissed because I won't stop taking pictures_

It covered every single date they had, one before and one after. He was very thorough about it. He was _so _proud of his son for finding somebody that made him happy.

Then I found the pictures that included all four of them. They looked so happy and healthy and as if nothing was wrong.

Looking at those pictures only made me miss my Grandparents more. It was clear that my Dad was their favorite, because he was the only one that actually took care of them in their old age.

I continued to look through the album only to find the pictures that made me actually feel a little happy:

_Mack ready to propose to Grace_

_Mack proposing to Grace_

_Grace said yes_

_Grace's crying_

_Mack's crying_

_Why are they crying this is supposed to be a happy thing_

Underneath that last one my Grandmother had written:

_Tears of joy you idiot_

The pictures continued on and on throughout their engagement. Some of them were of the diner my parents used to own:

_Mack and Grace opening the diner_

Then, Fury and the man I assumed was Alexander Pierce started to appear.

_Mack and his new friends_

They were really good friends of my Dad, they were in a lot of pictures with him and my Mom. Once it got to the pictures of his bachelor party, there was a note on the top of that page that said:

_Watch VCR tape after looking at pictures_

There were lots of pictures of them doing stupid stuff. Lots of pictures of them chugging alcohol straight from the bottle. They looked so stupid yet they were having the time of their lives. There was a picture of Fury dive-bombing a couch. There was a picture of them throwing a mattress off a balcony. There were pictures of them taking turns parachuting off the balcony with sheets and rope and landing on or close to the mattress. There were pictures of them lighting the couch on fires. There were pictures with them with firemen and police officers.

I was really glad that his room still had a VCR player so I could watch them do it.

Then was my parents wedding album. There were pictures of Fury and Alexander standing next to my Dad. The caption for that one was:

_In a very Full House fashion, he couldn't pick which one of them would be his best man._

Then there were pictures of my Dad looking nervous and my Mom looking nervous and my Mom in her dress. Their were pictures of her Father walking her down the isle. There were pictures of the ceremony. There were pictures of almost everybody in the room crying. There were pictures of my parents kissing.

By the end of the wedding album I was crying. I planned on doing the file box another day. I couldn't do it right then. I planned on finishing the photo box as soon as I stopped crying, but I didn't think that would happen any time soon.

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><p><strong>Please review.<strong>


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